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Red Hood
Red Hood is the name of several characters usually associated with the Batman mythos as villains. It was the original alias of the Joker, before the accident that drove him insane. Prior to his transformation he had been committing robberies in this disguise until Batman caught him at the Ace Chemical Processing Plant and accidentally pushed him into a vat of chemicals. Many years later Jason Todd, formerly a Robin who had been killed by the Joker, took the name following his resurrection. He developed it into an anti-hero persona which he used to murder criminals indiscriminately. The actual hood itself is not really a hood, but a high-tech helmet with a computer inside. The First Red Hood The Red Hood first appeared in Detective Comics #168 "The Man Behind the Red Hood (February 1951). A man named Jack had a pregnant wife, and they lived in a rundown tenement on the far side of Gotham City. In an effort for money, Jack resorted to a life of crime and began placing himself in mob affairs. One night, the mob hires two men to kill Jack. The men let Jack do their wishes under the alias Red Hood. His costume consisted of a large domed red helmet and a red cape. During the robbery, the plant's security guards spot the intruders and shoot the other criminals dead. The engineer tries to flee, but Batman appears and corners him on the plant's catwalk. Terrified, he jumps off the catwalk into the chemical basin to escape,and swam to freedom, surviving because of a special breathing apparatus built into the helmet. The toxins in the vat permanently and grotesquely disfigured him, turning his hair green, his skin white and his lips red. Upon discovering this, he went insane, and became the Joker. Believing Jack to be dead, the mob then hires a corrupt police officer to take his wife out. He succeeds, and Jack's wife, along with their unborn baby, burn to death in an alleged "accidental" electric fire. This all occurs as Edward Nashton watches in horror. Jack becomes Joker and forms a brief alliance with Nashton to search for the corrupt cop who killed his wife. Strangely enough, the Joker himself is reluctant to admit that this iteration of his story is definitive, stating: "Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another... if I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice!" The only other occasion the Joker ever took up the identity of the Red Hood again was after his latest scheme had been thwarted. Seeking to restore confidence in his abilities, the Joker donned the domed helmet and tuxedo of the Red Hood again to commit a crime in Batman #450 (1990). Four years later, the Red Hood costume finally ended up behind glass on display in the Batcave, as glimpsed in Batman #506. The Second Red Hood Jason Todd, one of the Robins, had been murdered by the original Red Hood. When Superboy-Prime alters reality, Jason returns from the grave. Enraged that Batman didn't avenge him, he locates the Joker and steals the Red Hood outfit (but not before beating him brutally), taking up the mantle of the second Red Hood. He uses aggression and fear to control strong gangs and the mob, supposedly saving the city. Jason is then found out of his activities by Batman. They argue over their theories of crime-fighting through combat, with Jason eventually showing his face and confirming Batman's suspicion. Category:Red Hood